Saturday, August 31, 2019

Hitler Was a Bad Leader

One of the most controversial topics in history is whether or not Hitler was a good leader; to this I say he wasn’t. During Hitler’s reign of power, more like reign of terror, he may have brought success to the world but none of it can undo his damage; none can ever compensate for the lives he took. Hitler was a terrible leader in that he manipulated the young, he was very hypocritical, and he caused the Jewish Holocaust. Hitler may have done more damage than good; however, he did know what he was doing. Hitler knew he needed supporters, and so he went to the people who would be the easiest to bring to his side.According to Hitler himself in his speech at Reichsparteitag in 1935, â€Å"He alone, who owns the youth, gains the Future! † Hitler’s manipulation of the youth succeeded into misleading an entire generation of idealistic German boys with the idea of racial and national superiority. Hitler strongly believed that any race or appearance different from what he claimed perfect, which was to be blonde with blue eyes, were to be destroyed. He used these â€Å"perfection† of people to become his base of support to help him carry out his barbaric attacks and later the holocaust.The young children did not know any better than to listen to their leader, so they acted without question, basically willingly helping him commit his sickening mass murder. The fact that he chose to manipulate younger children shows how pathetic he really was in that he wanted them because they were easier. Aside from his manipulating of innocent children to become his personal slaves, another reason he was a horrific leader was that he was a hypocrite. Hitler is most known for his act of murdering thousands of Jews because they were not blonde with blue eyes, but in reality, who is he to judge?Last time I checked, Hitler wasn’t even German but Austrian with black hair. This shows that he was an extremely racist man in that he attempted to take ou t an entire race because they were not his preferred ethnicity. This also shows that he was not fit to be a leader in that leaders are supposed to practice equality of all people, and are supposed to be of exemplary character. Seeing how he let his racist ways control him into committing such horrendous crimes just adds to how bad of a leader he really was.When someone first hears the name Hitler, there is usually a strong negative connotation that comes with it in that most people relate him directly to being the cause of the holocaust. The first reason he should never have been leader was that any person with such a sick and compulsive mind should never be in power. Already having such a fixed mindset, it should have been known that he would only do damage with his power. According to those around him, Hitler’s reasoning for the killing was that Jews were the cause of Germany’s problems.First of all, with no actual proof, it shows that Hitler acted on feeling instead of reason which obviously would only lead to downfalls. It also shows that he was a liar, and never should a country have such a ruler. Even if it is what he believed, it also shows he acted on impulse and simply what he believed instead of what was for the good of everyone. However, if he would still try to persuade people that he believed it really was for the good of all, it then just shows how he had the worst judgment and should not have been named ruler.Hitler was one of the worst rulers in our history because of his lack of good judgment and because of his wrong doings. Hitler gained support through the manipulation of innocent minds, which shows he was weak. He lived and spoke through hypocrisy, especially when he acted in killing thousands of Jews because of something they could not change. Hitler may have had some minimal success in adding to the world, but his injustices will forever shame him into being a horrible leader.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Mcdonald vs Burger King Compare and Contrast Essay

Outline I) Intro/Hook Thesis Statement: Although McDonald’s and Burger King are similar; they have evident differences in their advertising models, food and their commitment with the community. II) *Topic sentence 1: McDonald’s and Burger King invest a lot of money in their advertisements. A) Evidence #1: Golden arches, Ronald McDonald, Big Mac, extra cheese and the guy who promote Burger King. III) *Topic sentence 2: Their food seems to be the same, but it isn’t. A) Evidence #1: McDonald’s hamburger weighs less than Burger King’s.B) Evidence #2: Burger King’s beef are 100% pure and they flame-boils their burgers, while McDonald’s fries their beef. C) Evidence #3: McDonald’s cost slightly less than Burger King. IV) *Topic Sentence 3: Their commitment with the community is different. A) Evidence #1: McDonald’s has House Charities and they give away millions of dollars in scholarship, while Burger King’s commitment i s to provide good service and products to their clients. V) Conclusion McDonald's vs. Burger King â€Å"We see things not as they are, but as we are conditioned to see them† –Gandalf. Far from what we imagined, McDonald's and Burger King have huge differences.Most people perceive them just as the same fast food restaurant with different names. For this reason, â€Å"they create debates on which one of them is the superior restaurant† (Jeffrey’s blog, 2012, BK vs MC). Although, they have similarities, their differences become undeniable when we analyze deeply their advertising models, their food and their commitment to the community. An advertising model is the set of techniques that the companies use to call public attention to their products. Two of the best fast food restaurants in the world, McDonald’s and Burger King, invest a lot of money n their advertisements. Despite this, it’s quite remarkable that McDonald’s is smarter. When ever we hear golden arches, Ronald McDonald, Big Mac, or extra cheese we think about McDonalds. In contrast, what do we think about when we hear Burger King? Maybe some guy that appear in their commercials, but besides that, there is nothing startling about the advertising their use. Their food seems to be the same, but it isn’t. On one hand, McDonald’s hamburger weighs less and has only 9g of total fat, while Burger King’s hamburger has 12g and they have a saltier taste.On the other hand, Burger King’s beef are 100% pure and they flame-boils their burgers, while McDonald’s fries their beef. That’s why they taste different. Concern at cost, McDonald’s simple burger is lower at $0. 89 while Burger King’s has their simple burger at $0. 99. Their commitment to the community is also different. McDonald’s has House Charities since 1974, where they help thousands of parents stay by their sick children’s side. In additio n, they give away millions of dollars in scholarship to help people who can’t afford college. On the other hand, Burger King’s has some scholar program, which help poor families.However, their strong commitment is to provide good service and products to their clients and to make every Burger King restaurant a place where people love to go everyday. Even though McDonald’s and Burger King are really similar, they are also really different. They both try to have good advertising but McDonald’s is, most of the time, ahead. Their food seems to have the same condiments, but again, they are far away to be the same. They appear as the two most famous fast food restaurants around the world, but each one of them has their own techniques and secrets to be outstanding.McDonald’s, besides the service they offer, they help the community, and Burger King’s restaurants are commitment to be the best with their clients. Yes, they are fast food chains, they ar e famous, they are similar; but they also have huge differences in their food, advertisement, and the way they help the community. Reference: – (Jeffrey’s blog, 2012, BK vs MC). http://sites. cdnis. edu. hk/students/043135/2012/01/24/burger-king-vs-mcdonalds/ – http://www. burgerlad. com/2013/01/mcdonalds-limited-edition-big-tasty_4872. html – http://www. thesaleslion. com/reasons-mcdonalds-crushes-beats-burger-king-year/

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Case Study on Fault Tree Analysis

The Fault tree analysis is an analysis of deductive failure through which a system which is undesired is analyzed through the Boolean logic by combining a series of lower-level events. The analysis method of such is being used in the fields of protection engineering and dependability engineering for understanding the ways through which a system can fail, identifying and recognizing the best probable ways for reducing risks (Dunscombe, 2015). The FTA is generally being used in nuclear power, pharmaceutical and aerospace and industries which are generally hazardous. It is a process through which a skill is being broken into smaller steps for teaching a skill. As the small steps gets mastered, the learner becomes more self-governing in her ability for performing the larger skill The Fault Tree Analysis as depicted in the article is easy to understand. This method can also be defined as a backward method which can be used in thinking about the consequences which may take place (Jonas et al ., 2016). It has been a useful method and has been used over the years in industries which are having social and environmental problems and estimation of frequency failure (Doytchev & Szwillus, 2009). This method has the capability of handling the multiple failures or even the combination of failures. FTA has the ability to accommodate human error in analysis as compared to FMECA. FMECA will only take into account the components possible failure without taking into account the external environment playing a vital role in risk analysis. However, human error can be very random, which is not possible to predict and nearly impossible to in assigning a concrete value of such an error. FTA has the ability to calculate Mean Time to failures or Mean Time between failures. Information of such can be found as failure rates for basic events. Moreover task analysis has been beneficial in breaking down complex task structures and offering credentials for the mental and physical demands of the employees. The nature of data which has a bit of uncertainty can only be attained through conditions that are experimented strongly. Moreover, FTA is not concerned about the effect of failure and only aims to focus on events that could ease the failure. Moreover, FTA is often seen as a cover for human error but gets forgotten amidst the analysis. Activities involving human contribution of an operation should be considered as a treat that has the capability of triggering failure (Kabir et al., 2016). It can take into account the things that can trigger a failure but not the failure effect. Moreover, with task analysis it can only be conducted after the completion of fault tree analysis. Complication only gets increased in case of task analysis with the increase in the number of respondents and data that is being collected. A study of determining the failure of occurrence through FTA in the crushing and mixing of bed hall department at the province of Iran. The analyst assumed ‘failure in factory’ as the main event. There were 6 branches comprising of crushing, mine, raw mill, cement mill and burning and packing house departments. The focus is only on the crushing n admixing bed hall department. A fault tree analysis depicts that the crushing and mid mixing bed hall department is being divided into crusher system and mixing ball system and conveyor belt system. Several sub systems have also being identified. All this sub systems are connected to top event with gate logics 1, 2 and 3. And in the last stage the basic events are being taken into account by codifying circle symbols at last levels. Fig1. Fault Tree Analysis of crushing and mid mixing bed hall department Dunscombe, P. (2015). TU-AB-BRD-03: Fault tree analysis.  Medical Physics,  42(6), 3585 Jonas, J. A., Devon, E. P., Ronan, J. C., Ng, S. C., Owusu-McKenzie, J. Y., Strausbaugh, J. T., . . . Hart, J. K. (2016). Determining preventability of pediatric readmissions using fault tree analysis: Readmission analysis using fault tree.  Journal of Hospital Medicine,  11(5), 329-335. doi:10.1002/jhm.2555 Kabir, S., Walker, M., Papadopoulos, Y., Rà ¼de, E., & Securius, P. (2016). Fuzzy temporal fault tree analysis of dynamic systems.  International Journal of Approximate Reasoning,  77, 20-37. doi:10.1016/j.ijar.2016.05.006 Doytchev, D. E., & Szwillus, G. (2009). Combining task analysis and fault tree analysis for accident and incident analysis: A case study from bulgaria.  Accident Analysis and Prevention,  41(6), 1172-1179. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2008.07.014

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Movies summery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Movies summery - Essay Example Besides some compelling footages, the documentary also features voices and eye opening stories of farmers, food experts, food advocates, business people, and government officials. Food, Inc. seeks to inform the audience as consumers about their role in bring change to the system through making informed food choices. Food, Inc. presents an historical overview of the fast food industry indicating the transformation that has taken place over the years based the revolution of farming practices together with what and how people eat in the entire global food system. The documentary singles out the increased demand for fast food, which is inexpensive and unvarying in quality, and taste as what caused the shift to factory farming. However, it is noted that the demand for inexpensive food has led to people paying other prices like poor health and environmental degradation. The government policy of offering subsidies to corn farmers has made the commodity cheap therefore; many food producers f ind it continent to include corn or its ingredients in different products making corn perverse in many foodstuffs. It has become common, Food, Inc. notes for food producers to include components extracted from corn like xanthan gum, high-fructose corn syrup, and saccharin in their foods. The documentary also covers food contamination and the health risk such contamination pose to the population because of the revolution in food system. Contamination of food for human consumption due to the presence of bacteria such as E. coli has had far-reaching effects on human health as seen from the death of a child who ate contaminated hamburger. To make the concerns in the current food system clear, the documentary explores inherent differences between small-scale farming and industrial farming. Related to large-scale production, Food Inc. explores issues of workers’ rights and immigration of people to work in large slaughterhouses. These workers get low wages, have no job security, and have no right to form unions. The current food industry has made it impossible for small-scale farmers to compete according to Food Inc. the documentary highlights a case of a CEO of what used to be a small-scale organic yogurt production company but his company has since been taken over by a larger corporation called Groupe Danone. Food, Inc. further explores the changes in the food industries specifically targeting the treatment of seeds. The patents held by companies such as Monsanto which sells genetically modified seeds has made it illegal for farmers to store seeds from previous seasons. Some farmers face legal action even when their seeds have been contaminated by the genetically modified once from such companies. Lack of consumer awareness on the way food is processed and the ingredient it contains has been highlighted in Food, Inc as a problem. Many eat thinking they have taken a variety of food nutrients yet they have only eaten the same food type processed and packaged d ifferently. Business organizations as indicated in Food Inc. protect themselves and their products by holding onto intellectual property, and do not use detailed labels or warnings on food products they sale. Flow: For Love of Water Released in 2008, Flow: for Love of Water is a documentary about water management produced by Steven Starr. Irena Salina, the director, includes interviews from activists such as Peter Gleick, Maude Barlow, plus insights from scientists such as Rajendra Singh, Ashok Gadgil and

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Choose one product or product group ( e.g. gifts, books, food, Essay

Choose one product or product group ( e.g. gifts, books, food, clothes, computer, or shoes) - Essay Example The conditions in the business environment also play a key role in the identification and promotion of successful marketing plans. Current paper focuses on the challenges that the marketing strategies related to a particular group of products, computers, tend to face in the global market. Particular emphasis is given on the product’s environment but also on the potentials of the product to create value, a fact that would increase the demand for the particular product in the global market. It is revealed that the promotion of computers worldwide has radically changed, compared to the past. Online promotion is mostly used for products of such characteristics. Still, the use of traditional marketing strategies, simultaneously, could lead to the increase of this product’s popularity; such prospect would be quite important if taking into consideration the fact that computers are gradually replaced by tablets, as also analyzed below. 2.0 Introduction When checking the effecti veness of a marketing strategy, there are certain issues that need to be taken into consideration: a) marketing strategies are not standardized worldwide even for products of the same category/ characteristics, b) when referring to Internet, marketing may have different priorities, focusing on communication and the exchange of information; in opposition, in traditional marketing plans emphasis is given on the achievement of the company’s goals but also on the increase of organization’s profits; c) the success of marketing strategies can be depended on several factors; in other markets, online sales may be considered as a daily activity while in certain markets the alignment of marketing strategies with the business strategy cannot be avoided. Computers, as a critical industrial sector, have achieved an impressive rate of growth; still, the position of computers in the global market is severely threatened: the technology is continuously developed while communication and cooperation have become critical requirements for the successful integration of the products in markets worldwide. The appearance of devices that can replace PCs has led to worries in regard to the survival of the industry in the future. The value chain analysis could help to understand the potentials of the specific product to stabilize its position in the future. 3.0 Online Product 3.1 Environment of the Product The performance of computers within their environment needs to be checked from time to time. The current market trends lead to assumption that online products have more chances to achieve a high rate of growth. Still, the technology available for the realization of such projects can be quite costly, not allowing the development of such projects. The trends in regard to the online and the offline environment of the product are presented in detail in the following section. At this point, the following question appears: what does the term environment of the product means? In general, this term is used to show all characteristics of the product’s environment, including the level of the economy, the mode of social and economic framework of the state involved and c) the level of competition. The conditions in the computer industry are quite competitive; only firms that are already well established in the market will survive; as a result the performance of computers in regard to innovation need to be extremely high. The

Monday, August 26, 2019

Health Communications Research Paper on Hurricane Katrina Essay

Health Communications Research Paper on Hurricane Katrina - Essay Example Earthquake stroke Kobe Japan a few years ago killing 200,000 people. True, however is the recent ruthless, Hurricane Katrina hit of Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast August 29, as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 145 mph It flooded 90,000 square miles displacing 400,000 people. 1 The official death toll now stands at 1,302 and the damage estimated from $70 to $130 billion. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) over one million persons were displaced, and hundreds of thousands remain dispersed throughout the U.S. including some 200,000 people staying in 65,000 rooms in 10,000 hotels or motels nationwide. Additional thousands are reportedly still housed in Texas churches. Forty-three states are now eligible for federal assistance to help meet needs of evacutees. More than 200,000 people also lost their jobs across the affected Gulf region. However, experience from the historical disasters has established a dichotomy between disaster and peoples re silience. People have been able to adapt very first by embarking on reconstruction regardless of the impact. In the wake of Katrina for example resilience has gained a new relevance. Relatively, resilience and catastrophes are two inseparable entities that depend on demographics and the impact of the devastation. Just as some people can fend off traumatic illness while others succumb, not all cities are equally of rebounding from a shock to the system. A person whose health is compromised to begin with, has less chance of recovery than an individual in full health. So too is a city. New Orleans, which already was burdened with huge social and economic problems long before Katrina arrival have played a major role in determining how well the Crescent City will recover from the storm and its aftermath. Urban resilience, moreover, is not necessarily progressive. In spite of the seeming tabular Rasa opportunity a major disaster can offer to correct old errors and put things right, reconstruction tends to favor the status quo. Even if city buildings are toppled, foundations are often reusable and property lines remain. Insurance claims and simple inertia help push landowners to rebuild more or less what they lost. The deep psychological need to see things put quickly back the way they were has also had a positive impact on resiliency and thereof reconstruction. While a disaster can trigger a host of long-term innovations, these tend not to surface in the immediate wake of a catastrophe. Visionary schemes have been the stuff of good times, when people can afford the lu xury of debating possible future. The last thing people want to do in the middle of a disaster is wait around for the minute of a brave new plan to be refined for implementation. When London burned in 1666, Christopher Wren, John Evelyn's and others, full of axial boulevards and capacious plazas; all remained on paper, floated grand schemes. What Londoners returned to instead, was a city that looked and felt much as it did before the conflagration. And while Chicago great fire of 1871 eventually yielded a city of fire-proof masonry buildings as well as the first skyscrapers, the initial reconstruction phase fell back to erecting very kinds of rickety firetraps that caused the catastrophe in the first place. This notion of regressive resilience extends also to a city social order and

Screening Asia ( commenting asian movie ) Essay

Screening Asia ( commenting asian movie ) - Essay Example China produces movies with a collective bent while Taiwan produces individualistic movies. Additionally, the movies produced by China have a big scope, but are not as outward as those produced by Taiwan. 2. What is a Brief History of Taiwanese Nationalism and Film? Taiwanese Nationalism is an important aspect, as the Taiwanese nationalism has been highly diverse. This is because different colonialists colonized Taiwan. Before democratization, the Kuomintang considered Taiwan to be part of China that would be joined with the mainland. Therefore, the expression of Taiwanese nationalism was highly discouraged. The colonizers in Taiwan allowed the production of movies; however, they put great restrictions on it. Only movies in Mandarin Chinese languages were allowed. Additionally, the Kuomintang produced movies that portrayed the behavior of an ideal citizen. Overall, early film in Taiwan was a way communicating political ideas. However, after democratization, Taiwanese films started to address historical and cultural issues, thus ushering in the â€Å"new cinema.† Here most movies addressed important aspects such as Taiwanese identity and Taiwanese political history. 3. What is your favorite time of the Taiwan film? Why? My favorite time of the Taiwan film is the â€Å"New Cinema.† This was a period when the Taiwanese had the freedom of developing their films without any influence from colonizers. Initially, the different colonizers of Taiwan were restrictive to movie production in Taiwan. Nonetheless, with the â€Å"new cinema† period, the Taiwanese got back their right of expression, thus produced movies that explored various topics in society. 4. Do you think that Taiwanese films are being heavily influenced by foreign culture? I feel that Taiwanese films are not being influenced by foreign cultures. In the past, foreign cultures influenced Taiwan movies, but this is not the case today. This was the case in the past, as Taiwan was colonized by different foreign countries, which imposed their cultures on Taiwan, including Taiwan’s film production. 5. Why do you guys think the Taiwan’s cinema producer  have to include Japanese girl character on the movie? Why not leave alone the Taiwan character? any opinion? The Taiwan film producers feature a Japanese girl character on the movie, probably because Japan as a country had a great influence on Taiwan. Including Taiwan’s film. Japan colonized Taiwan for a long time, beginning 1895 to1945. During this time, Japan had imposed its culture on the Taiwanese, who were naturalized to become Japanese. These therefore, were expected to dress like Japanese, eat Japanese food, speak Japan, engage in Japanese religious rites, and use Japanese names, among others. Therefore, maybe this great influence of the Japanese culture on the Taiwanese culture had a great impact. The Japanese also had an influence on Taiwanese film production, as these produced documentarie s and feature films that were mainly political in nature. Therefore, I consider that the influence of Japan on Taiwan is still felt through the Taiwanese films today. Korea 1. How was your first impression on Korean films?  Have you been consider that Korean public films are ‘too commercial’, or inartistic?  If so, what is the rationale behind your notion? I consider Korean films to be of low quality, as compared to those produced in the USA. This is

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Successful life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Successful life - Essay Example At my house, we were four children, my parents and more often than not my grandmother would visit. This meant the house was always crowded and somewhat noisy, for me this was annoying and made me eager for college so that I could move out and go be on my own, in quiet. Nonetheless, this attitude transformed when I began college and within the first year I learnt that Mr Raphaels’ wellbeing had spun for worse. I had to make new friends and adapt to new surroundings, this made me miss the familiarity of home. Mr. Raphaels had been admitted to a rehabilitation centre as he had become an alcoholic. It occurred to me that a successful life is not guaranteed by material things and being alone is quite miserable. In my opinion, a successful life is achieved through contentment and fulfillment that are complementary feelings generated from within; whereby contentment implies accepting and appreciating the situation one is in, good health, social ties family being paramount and spiritu ality. These three things, from an individual viewpoint, allow us to realize success as a constant achievement. First and foremost, success is dependent on social ties because as human beings social connection is a prime need. Social ties allude to the rapport we have with our kin, friends, neighbors and colleagues. We need to maintain fruitful relationships that satisfy that basic need for connection, where we not only seek to keep ourselves happy but also those that are around us. Family is a key factor because they know us best and have supported us throughout our lives, that is, since childhood till presently. Hence, we ought to learn to be appreciative and tolerate them; moreover, the friends we keep are essential in our success as they either lead us to positive outcomes or negative outcomes. One should encircle themselves with people that inspire, support and complement. When we are vulnerable for example because of illness or frustrations from school, we will need someone to support us. As we go about our everyday life, we must treat people with respect and be humble because we are equal as human beings. Besides that, it is important that we adapt a sense of charity towards the less fortunate. Nothing is more rewarding than giving; it brings a sense of fulfillment which is the essence of success, as it breeds contentment. Spirituality, being the second crucial factor that guarantees success, requires that we develop a sense of mastery of ourselves. This implies discovering ourselves with regard to our weaknesses and strengths. As soon as we accept these, we can better our weaknesses and magnify our strengths. Self-mastery becomes significant because we train ourselves to accept that which we cannot change and improve that which we can, all through guidance. This requires that we adapt a different attitude and behavior towards life to this reality. Nevertheless, we should be careful not to develop a bleak perspective towards life. We must have hope, rem aining optimistic, as this provides us with a renewed strength whenever we feel overwhelmed by life. Of significance as well, is recognizing that when seeking pleasure we must choose pleasures that are deep and lingering. Not forgetting, having a charitable spirit as this provides a deep rewarding feeling. Thirdly, we must ensure that we are healthy in terms of

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Toxicology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Toxicology - Research Paper Example Furthermore, epidemiologic studies have established that cigarette smoking seriously aggravates the symptoms of asbestosis and increases the risk of cancer. However, the synergistic interaction between tobacco smoking and inhalation of asbestos remains yet to be established and is subject to hypothesis. Asbestos as well as tobacco smoke is a well-established lung carcinogen. It is known that inhaled asbestos fibers remain in the lungs for years eventually assisting in the formation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species that subsequently cause excessive scarring, tissue injury, and cellular growth in the lungs via large scale loss of chromosomes. Although several hypothesis has been put forward to explain the multiplicative effects of asbestos and tobacco smoke, it is possible that asbestos fibers on the lungs surface concentrate the tobacco carcinogens thereby enhancing delivery of the large amounts of carcinogens to the nucleus of the target cell. Indeed, this hypothesis is s upported by a modeling experiment in which it was shown that phospholipids coating the lung epithelium adhere to the asbestos fibers, which ultimately enhance the hydrophobicity of the fiber (Gerde & Scholander, 1988).

Friday, August 23, 2019

Law Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Law - Term Paper Example In this context, some cases will be described and analyzed, in order to understand the law’s influence on the reality. One of the most important acts that protects the copyright holders in Canada is the Copyright Act. In terms of this Act, â€Å"a work or other subject-matter is not deemed to be published or performed in public or communicated to the public by telecommunication if that act is done without the consent of the owner of the copyright.†1 This Act applies to literary or textual works: books, pamphlets, poems, computer programs, dramatic works: films, videos, plays, screenplays and scripts, musical works: compositions consisting of both words and music, or music only (lyrics without music are considered literary works), artistic works: paintings, drawings, maps, photographs, and sculptures, architectural works, (section 2) performer’s performances (section 15); broadcast communication signals (section 21); and sound recordings such as records, cassettes and CDs (section 18). The positive character of this act is that any work which has been created or written becomes automati cally protected from the first moment of its existence. Moreover, the Copyright Act also protects the moral rights of the author. In spite of this, the Copyright Act does have some weak points, such as for example the stipulation included in Section 29, allowing usage of protected works without proper authorization in purpose of â€Å"research or private study†¦ by an educational institution, library, archive or museum, or person acting under its authority†. Internationally speaking, Canada is a party of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works of 1886. Canada has also signed but not yet ratified both the WIPO Copyright Treaty of 1996 and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty of 1996. In USA, the most outstanding legislative act that protects

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The significance of Vygotsky’s theories Essay Example for Free

The significance of Vygotsky’s theories Essay There has been increasing interest in the significance of Vygotsky’s theories and methodologies in education, mainly because these were not completed and empirically tested by Vygotsky himself, and because for Vygotsky, education was â€Å"central to cognitive development† and is â€Å"the quintessential sociocultural theory. † Vygotsky’s theories have been important in creating educational change, and his formulations concerning the â€Å"surrounding situations† in education help us understand the social nature of behavior. Because of the importance of culture and social context to sociocultural theorists, they would naturally be concerned with education as it begins outside the classroom—in the â€Å"real† world. Thus, learning was studied in places where conventional thought deemed that it did not occur in. However, this does not tell much about the source of cognitive skills because of the variability of success of specific tasks, depending on the social context—the â€Å"surrounding situation. † Vygotsky believed that cognitive development per se created potentialities but that learning is required to realize them. He believed that it is important to understand the relationship between instruction and mental development to understand many aspects of teaching and learning. Vygotsky differentiated between spontaneous and non-spontaneous development—between a concept whose meaning is experienced and that whose meaning needs to be explained systematically, for example. The issue of diversity is a considerable challenge to sociocultural theorists today. Sociocultural theories can help in teaching socially and culturally diverse learners. The Laboratory of Comparative Human Cognition (LCHC), an institution which has made significant contributions to sociocultural theory, has helped in testing, analyzing, and expanding ideas on the social nature of human thought. Two of the LCHC’s most important products are the Fifth Dimension, a computer-based curriculum for academically challenged students, and La Clase Magica, an offspring of the Fifth Dimension focused on diversity. The idea of the social nature of human thought has existed for a long time, although it was Vygotsky who â€Å"solidified† the whole paradigm. Socio-cultural research on education is in its early stages. The increasing diversity in the world of education means that researches will need to work with many cultures in mind, and will need to collaborate across cultures. It can be expected that knowledge of the social nature of thought and its relationship to education will increase an necessary to accommodate the rapidly changing realities of modern times.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Neoliberal in Latin America by Samir Sader Essay Example for Free

Neoliberal in Latin America by Samir Sader Essay This paper examines the role of the neo-liberalism approach to development in Latin America. The paper aims to establish whether the approach has facilitated the attainment of the developmental goals of the Latin American region. Through literature review, the study finds out that the neo-liberalism approach has attained a certain degree of progress in the Latin American region. However, the overwhelming evidence emerges in support of alternative development approaches. This realization is made after it is established that neo-liberalism has contributed towards retarded economic growth, political instability and other social ills in the continent. The paper finally concludes that seeking alternative approaches to growth is necessary if the Latin American region is to achieve further progress. Introduction Neo-liberalism is a market led model to social and economic policies premised on the neoclassical theories of economics, which aim to utilize maximally the private sector in choosing the economic, political and social priorities of a state. The aim of the model is to shift risks from the public corporate to individuals. This indicates that the primary role of the approach is to increase efficiency premised on the belief that governments were not in a position to attain such a goal (Cohen, 2007). The neo-liberalism approach was introduced in the Latin American continent to achieve the benefits associated with it on theory. After decades of applying the approach, the Latin American region still finds itself lagging behind in terms of economic and social growth and development. This leads to a host of queries regarding to what would have gone wrong. Research questions This paper examines the following research questions: Has the neo-liberalism approach facilitated economic growth in the Latin American region? Has neo-liberalism led to political instability in the Latin American region? Has neo-liberalism failed to achieve its goals in the Latin America continent? If neo-liberalism has failed, are there alternatives to replace it? Literature review Neo-liberalism was first applied in Latin America at the turn of the new century. Latin America chose to offer a ground in which the forces of neo-liberalism contentions squared off. Such lead to a construction of both resistance and seeking of alternatives. The neoliberal dispensation adopted in the 1990’s in Latin America led to serious setbacks. For instance, the huge inequalities, which characterize Latin America, point to this position. Though neo-liberalism was not the cause of the inequality problem, it served to exacerbate the gap (Sader, 2008). The neoliberal model was imposed in Latin America. Towards privatization condition was give n requiring that successive governments in the continent should defeat and disarm the earlier left wing movements and any organized labor groups. During this time, the developmentally agenda was premised on the import substitution model. This model was particularly used in Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil; however, the model was also in use in countries like Columbia, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and Uruguay (Sader, 2008). The model was heavily doctored in a way, which encouraged wide political projects based on the ideology of strengthening the working class and trade unions with backing from local parties and national blocs submerged in the context of nationalistic identities and ideologies. Instead of leading to the sought after development, the neoliberal agenda turned tragic as countries in the Latin American region became engaged in military coups time and time again beginning at the 1960’s (Sader, 2008). The combination between military coups and the neoliberal growth models led to adrift in the balance of power in reference to the social classes in the region. In countries like Chile, Uruguay and Argentina, it was near impossible attempting to privatize national industries. Simply put, the state governments had to suppress the nationals into accepting the sell-outs. Initially, states offered a certain degree of protection as they regulated local markets and thus guaranteed the social well-being of the population. However, privatization became necessary to clear the path for the neoliberal agenda. Argentina suffices as the best example in this line of thinking as illustrated by the complete transfer of public resources to the private sector followed by the abolition of the hard fought for social rights. In a nutshell, the neoliberal model was dismantling the norms in Latin America. At the turn of the 1990’s, neo-liberalism had taken its toll in the Latin American continent. Its effects were fraught throughout the political spectrum. Originally, the program was implemented in Chile, later, Peru, Mexico, Bolivia followed suit (Sader, 2008). One stark reality that emerges is rested on the failure of the neo-liberalism model to consolidate the required social forces for sustenance. This meant there was constant instability paving way for a host of crises right from its onset. This finds support in the Mexico crisis of1994, the Brazil crisis of 1999 and the Argentina crisis of 2002. These nations were ravaged by astounding levels of inflation, which were however controlled at a significantly high cost. The effects of hyperinflation are quite adverse as for instance, economic growth of a region or a state comes under paralysis. Instead of achieving the expected growth and development in the Latin American countries, adverse effects like, stagnating economies, growing wealth gaps, spiraling public deficits, expropriation of individual rights (in reference to employment and labor unionization) took precedence. Further to this, the general population’s rights were curtailed. However, the growth of the public debts negatively exposed the Latin American economies. The poor economic performance led to the ouster of Alberto Fujimori in Peru, Menem in Argentina, Henrique Fernando Cardoso in Brazil, Gonzalo Sanchez in Bolivia, among others (Sader, 2008). The neoliberal model of growth encouraged the internationalization of economies. This pushed the corporate elites into striking an alliance with international capital. Towards achieving the neoliberal agenda, the pro neo-liberalists supported military dictatorships in the southern Cone. The support was extended even to guerillas as far as they were in support of the export-oriented model (Sader, 2008). The adherence to the neoliberal policies meant that gains made in reference to trade unionism had to be reversed. This also affected the leftwing forces as they were equally disabled by the neoliberal agenda. This was further worsened following the collapse of the former Soviet Union. Labor unions like the Brazilian Workers Party (PT) the Nicaraguan Frente Sandinista and the Uruguayan Frente Amplio evolved into parties in order to camouflage from being phased out by the respective governments. They occupied a central wing to achieve their goals. However, left wing groupings such as the VPR and ALN in Brazil, the PRT-ERP in Argentina and the MIR in Chile were dissolved (Sader, 2008). The political ideologies in Latin America became remodeled on the lines of the neoliberal policies. The emerging new world order further reinforced the neoliberal hegemony. Popular forces were abandoned as the former nationalists and social democrats got sucked into the neo-liberal agenda. However, this group has continued to pressure the leaders into discarding the policies in favor of more socialistic ones. This group argues that neo-liberalism has disabled the state from performing its functions as ideally expected. The group’s militancy against neo-liberalism is premised on the wholesale privatization of state resources and expropriation of individual rights with particular reference to formal employment, education and health. The overthrow of the neoliberal government of Sanchez de Lozada was down to the agitations brought forth by disgruntled elements based on advances by the government to privatize water (Sader, 2008). The neoliberal agenda remained committed to creating polarity between the public and the market sector. Ne-liberalism is committed to the extension of market relations. Initially, the state was connected with the social aspect of humanity. However, at the advent of neo-liberalism, the state was required to divorce with this aspect, leading to a critical clash in the process (Sader, 2008). Chile was among the first nations to support neo-liberalism in the Latin American continent. Augusto Pinochet offered support to the approach during his 17-year reign. However, successive governments after the overthrow of the dictator did not introduce significant changes into the system. Against suggestions that neo-liberalism was anti-growth, much was attained in Chile. For instance, in the year 2009, the United Nations Development Report ranked Chile as a country characterized y high quality of life, highly competitive, political stability, high levels of globalization, low perceptions on corruption, economic freedom and low poverty levels. However, it should be noted that Chile remained a country with rampant wealth disparities with a distorted nature of distribution of resources (Cohen, 2007). Between the period of 1930 and 1970, a good number of Latin American countries used the import substitution model to put up own industries which contributed into a reduction of dependency levels. The other effect was on urbanization. The urban centers witnessed a growing population as a result of the increasing number of the working class. Protests by left-wing parties and trade unions grew due to economic crises. The economic crises and the theoretical prospects of the model were the major reason why leaders chose to implement neo-liberal approaches. In the end, neo-liberalism contributed to informal unemployment, urban unemployment, urban poverty and insecurity (Fischer, Ratna and Carlos, 2002). As unemployment and insecurity grew, the rich segment of the society continued to become richer. At this time, the poor sections of the society continued to be poorer. However, in some countries wealth creation increased following the introduction of the neoliberal policies. Despite the increase, instate wealth, the distribution remained inequitable. In turn, inequality contributed to political instability across the continent. Inequality breeds discontent and despair among the poor, this leads to formation of groups, which engage in criminal activities. Some groups end up forming feeder groups to rebel gangs. It is thus no surprise that political overthrows were rampant in Latin America. As Ong (2006) observes oopponents of neo-liberalism argue that liberalisation and globalisation play a big role in subverting a state’s ability of self-determination. As a result, states are reduced to speculators in the bigger globe. The approach leads to negative economic consequences like inequality and contributes towards the deterioration of people’s living standards. Neo-liberalism distorts power by reducing the one held by governments and transferring t into corporations. This in turn facilitates the transfer of benefits from the poor to the wealthy. Neo-liberalism creates struggles both at the social and local fronts as reflected by the inability of citizens to chart their own destiny. Deregulation predisposes states and citizens to cyclical movements of economic forces. This sums it all that neo-liberalism has led to more harm than good. The neoliberal policies brewed a war between different stakeholders at the state level to jostle for positions of controlling the countries. On the one hand, is the elected leadership, o the other hand are the social movements. Social movements include rural movements, trade unions and employees in the education and health sectors of the public. However, governments like the Brazilian one attempted to adopt social oriented measures to gain popular citizenry support. Others include Nicaragua, Argentina and Uruguay though to a lesser extent. These countries’ policies remain friendly in reference to allowing for open economies as opposed to other states in the region (Sader, 2008). In Latin America, there are two groups of countries, one in favor, and the other group against integration at a regional level Costa Rica. Peru, Mexico, Chile have entered integration deals individually while Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Cuba and Bolivia remain more keen on integration (Sader, 2008). Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba and Ecuador have taken big steps towards the establishment of an alternative growth model to the neoliberal approach. The four countries have proposed the ‘Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas’ to tackling continent’s issues. This has expanded to incorporate Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, ALBA has attempted to reduce the efficacy of the neoliberal model by insisting on fair trade. This calls for shunning of trade regulations based on the WTO and market rate norms. The trade practices between Cuba and Venezuela in which case a form of barter trade takes place serves as a strong pointer to the proposed way in the region. In the trade between the two, Cuba swaps oil with education services from Venezuela (Sader, 2008). Analysis of findings It thus emerges that neo-liberalism performed dismally in the Latin American continent. This aside, the consequences were lethal in reference to the instability emerging from the model of development. When economies are performing poorly, the masses suffer and loose faith in governments. The neoliberal agenda as established leaned on silencing the public if the model was to turn out a success. This explains why governments had to curtail the freedoms of citizens as exhibited by the suppression of labor and left wing unions. However, this is tantamount to breeding discontent in the populations. Simply put, these measures sowed the seeds of discord in any nation. It was thus not surprising that the instability generated in the Latin American countries was largely due to the focus on the neoliberal policies of development. The neo-liberal approach stands accused for playing a huge role in the emergence and recurrence of dictatorship in the region. States, which supported the approach, were encouraged and offered support to suppress popular opinion on country or state governance. This contributes directly to promotion of dictatorial tendencies. This further aggravates the political instability associated with repressive regimes since; such contributes to sowing seeds of discontent in populations. The repressive regimes further contributed to the loss of gains made in regards to trade unionism as such were discouraged. However, groups have formed in these countries to fight for their rights especially in reference to basic needs. A case in point is captured in Brazil where in 2002, landless peasants ganged up in resistance to privatization of water in Cochabamba. This contributes towards creating social and political unrest in these countries. As a result, neo-liberalism was directly responsible for political instability in the region. It is established in the paper that the neoliberal model of growth has painstakingly failed o advance the developmental agenda of the Latin American continent. This implies that seeking alternative measures is the only promising way out f this fiasco. True to this, some countries like Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Cuba and Bolivia remain focused on integrating at a regional level. This points that neo-liberalism has failed in the Latin American continent and as a result, the search for alternative models of growth remains in top gear. The forms of integration shown by some of the Latin American country appear to be the best alternative to enable the region achieve the desired growth as opposed to borrowing models of growth from the West. The fact that the region is well endowed with natural resources like oil puts it at a driving seat if integration is allowed to thrive. Countries opposed to the neoliberal agenda have chosen to ally with the protagonists of the United States of America like the People’s Republic of China and Russia. Limitation This paper solely relies on works of other scholars as it is based on literature review. Literature is of invaluable contribution to studies. This is held because literature forms the basis upon which studies are carried out. However, literature may be subject to subjectivity especially if the authors/researchers fail to remain objective. Nevertheless, this paper has reviewed four works to ensure that the reviewed literature does not raise inconsistencies. The paper though, heavily focuses on the works of Sader. Based on this, the paper is a useful contribution to the discourse on the neo-liberalism approach and development in Latin America. Conclusion This paper concludes that neo-liberalism is not the appropriate development model in the Latin American region. This is based on the realization that the developmental approach has occasioned a number of adverse outcomes as enumerated in the literature review. However, in countries like Chile, the developmental record has been impressive. Despite this, the overall rating of the approach is poor as indicated that even in Chile, its adverse effects like widening the gap between the rich and the poor remains clearly manifested. It is thus not surprising that measures like integration are being sought by countries from the Latin American region. If the neoliberal approach was good as earlier expected then the Latin American countries would have achieved the desired development long ago. Instead, after decades of using the approach, negative effects such as political instability, social and economic problems have reared their ugly faces repeatedly. It is thus held that seeking alternatives to the neo-liberal approach is in the best interests of the Latin American countries. Reference List Cohen, J. N. (2007). The Impact of Neoliberalism, Political Institutions and Financial Autonomy on Economic Development, 1980–2003 Dissertation, Department of Sociology, Princeton University. Fischer, S. , Ratna, S. Carlos, A. (2002). Modern Hyper- and High Inflations Journal of Economic Literature: 837–880. Ong, A. (2006). Neoliberalism as Exception: Mutations in Citizenship and Sovereignty. Duke University Press. Sader, E. (2008). The Weakest Link? Neoliberalism in Latin America. New Left Review, 52.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The environmental entrepreneurship

The environmental entrepreneurship Introduction General Background Eco-preneurship refers to the environmental entrepreneurship who are poised towards coming up with sustainable business ideas (Libecap, 2009, p.34). EcoPreneurs indeed identify environmental challenges and therefore develop environmental products and services which will aid in solving both the business and environmental challenges by providing a sustainable solution. The main competitive advantage for Eco-preneurship businesses is the fact that they are able to utilize sustainable options in energy, waste management and other spectra of the ecosystem. Identification of the problem It is indeed emerging that most of the business ventures today are only interested in profits and growth without due concern on positive environmental impacts. It is this problem that gives rise to a set of sustainable business solutions provided by the EcoPreneurs. This paper shall seek to enlist the benefits of an eco-preneurship business venture. Statement of Purpose Eco-preneurship makes companies more environmentally responsible for their actions. In the recent past, there has been an outcry over the carbon emission menace. Several conferences have yielded the Kyoto Protocol which aims at making industries more environment sensitive in their production and general operation. There are various principles that hold eco-preneurship business ventures towards their sustainable business solutions. These principles are aimed at reducing energy waste as well as carbon emission. Businesses must recognize the fact that they owe a responsibility to the environment in which they operate in and must therefore develop sustainable solutions towards tackling problems related to waste management, energy needs, carbon emission, hazardous chemical usage as well as air pollution. What is imperative to consider is the fact that most of the eco-preneurship business ventures derive many benefits as a result of their eco-friendly business operations. This paper succinctly looks into the benefits that eco-preneurship has both to itself and the larger environment in which it operates. Main Body As earlier mentioned, eco-preneurship refers to environmental entrepreneurship. Eco-preneurship usually has a competitive advantage that they draw from being environmentally sensitive. Indeed, there are many benefits that the eco-preneurship business ventures enjoy. Isaak (1999, p.11) reveals that eco-preneurship enjoys a good reputation due to their initiatives towards maintaining a sustainable environment. This advantage gives eco-preneurships a competitive advantage against competitors hence these companies are able to amass a large number of customers, both existing and new customers. With the large number of customers among the eco-preneurship ventures, there will be increased sales volumes which translate into profitable business ventures. Eco-preneurship ensures that carbon emissions are reduced to negligible levels. Carbon emission is the main concern of every major company in the world today. Following the Kyoto Protocol, companies are required to be more vigilant in reducing their carbon emission. Since eco-preneurship is poised towards providing sustainable environmental solutions, reducing carbon emission has been at their foresight. Eco-preneurships therefore reduce carbon emission through reduced transportation. These companies are able to introduce environmentally sound solutions towards reducing transportation by utilizing the locally available material for their production lines hence reducing the need to purchase such items from a distant location. According to Schaltegger and Wagner (2006, p.47), the environment is full of eco-opportunities which would provide a just in time solution to the problems that the environment encounters on a day-to-day basis. For instance, considering McDonalds, a large hamburger restaurant found in most parts of the world; such a company could utilize locally supplied chicken and other food stuffs that it requires in its production process. Moreover, this will lead to the growth of small and medium enterprises in the countries of operation. Therefore, the eco-preneurship will be able to support sustainable environmentally sound solutions and effectively reducing the carbon emission menace. Alternatively, using solar or wind energy also helps reduce the carbon emission. Most eco-preneurships make use of these energy sources for the benefit of their environment. On the other hand, eco-preneurship is able to reduce the amount of hazardous chemical usage. Many eco-preneurships usually make use of chemicals that are not harmful to the environment. Chemical use within companies usually finds its way into the environment, either through seepage or intentionally (Folmer Tietenberg, 2005, p.114). These chemicals cause huge environmental damage to crops and living organisms. Eco-preneurships therefore reduce the amount of hazardous chemical usage. Chemicals that are used within the eco-preneurship business ventures should be tested and properly handled so as to reduce the chances of releasing them into the environment. Energy and resource efficiency is another benefit that the eco-preneurships have. Eco-preneurships usually seek sustainable energy use in order to ensure that there is limited energy loss during the production of goods and services. The preserved energy is thus channeled towards meeting other energy requirements within the venture. A good example of efficient energy use by the eco-preneurships, is the use of solar and wind powers. These are sustainable and renewable energy resources which are likely to lead to reduced carbon emission. These sources of energy are usually considered to be clean. The advantage of this is that, the eco-preneurship will incur fewer costs in their energy use since they will have depended on sustainable and renewable energy sources. Saving is a major advantage and benefit that eco-preneurships derive from their sustainable environmental solutions and should therefore uphold these values (Isaak, 1998, p.16). In addition, eco-preneurship ensures that there is an effective waste management system in place so that any wastes that emanate from the business venture is indeed managed properly, hence reducing the amount of environmental pollution. Industrial waste is a headache to most of the businesses. Eco-preneurship therefore provides a sustainable solution towards this dilemma. As such, eco-preneurships are largely competitive due to the fact that they introduce sustainable waste management systems which effectively deal with the environmental challenges pertaining to waste management (Schaper, 2005, p.63). An example of a waste management system that the eco-preneurship puts in place is found in the sugarcane factories. The bargase which is the waste obtained from crushing the sugarcane is used to produce energy. The bargase is burned in chambers that produce energy that is later channeled towards turning turbines. The turbines produce electricity cheaply for use within the company. Some of the sugarcane waste is also decomposed and used as manure by the farmers. Hence, there is limited waste in eco-preneurship. Both solid and liquid wastes are effectively managed in the eco-preneurships. There is a well managed system that ensures that solid wastes are treated first before being released into the environment. Hence, eco-preneurships are environmentally sensitive thus garnering support for such companies among world leaders. Eco-preneurship makes efficient use of water resources. Water is increasingly becoming scarce in the dynamic weather climate that we continue to experience. Therefore, this calls for efficient use of water. Eco-preneurships are beneficial since they put in place systems that ensure that there is efficient use of water resources. For example, in the sugarcane factory, water that is used to clean the factory is channeled towards irrigating the crops hence ensuring limited water wastage. In addition, eco-preneurships ensure that there is less air pollution. This is because of the sustainable and renewable energy that the companies use. For instance, solar and wind power are clean energy sources thus less air pollution to the environment. This is beneficial to the eco-preneurships since they are likely to gain international recognition that will boost their image internationally hence the company will witness an increase in customer volumes (Libecap, 2009, p.28). The large pool of customers will reciprocate to high sales volume and therefore more profitability for the eco-preneurships. Eco-preneurships are socially responsible since they promote sustainable environmental solutions and as such are revered as being socially sensitive. The eco-preneurships through their environmental awareness creation are likely to increase opportunities that are available for the employment of various personnel. These personnel will be deployed in the environment department so as to support the core values of the eco-preneurships. Folmer and Tietenberg (2005, p.34) argue that the alternative use of energy solutions is likely to save the company financial resources that will be used in employing more staff to ensure a sustainable business environment. Many times, the Eco-preneurships will be concerned with finding better ways of managing the environment and thus the need for more innovation which can only be realized through injecting new human resources into their systems. Conclusion Eco-preneurships are therefore bent towards ensuring a clean environment for the benefit of the community within. The environmental entrepreneurs also help to reduce carbon emission through the use of renewable energy sources that emanate from solar and wind power. These energy sources therefore help to reduce the costs of production as well, hence leading to more profitability for the eco-preneurships. It is a known fact that eco-preneurships usually have the best waste management systems in place. As such, this helps to reduce pollution within the operating environment. Carbon emission remains the biggest challenge for most companies (Isaak, 1999, p.64). However, Eco-preneurships have been able to effectively reduce carbon emission through the use of locally available raw materials in their production process and thus less transportation. Therefore, eco-preneurships will have a good reputation and a competitive edge against the other business ventures; hence, this will lead to more customers and thus higher sales volumes. Profitability in this case will be inevitable. Companies should therefore be driven towards a sustainable environment so as to ensure that they are able to save costs as well as manage their wastes effectively. References Folmer, H., Tietenberg, T 2005, The international yearbook of environmental and resource economics 2005/2006: a survey of current issues, Edward Elgar: Washington. Isaak, R 1998, Green logic: ecopreneurship, theory and ethics, Greenleaf: Sydney. Isaak, R.A 1999, Green logic: ecopreneurship, theory, and ethics, Kumarian Press: Michigan. Libecap, G.D 2009, Frontiers in Eco Entrepreneurship Research, Emerald Group Publishing: Edinburgh. Schaltegger, S., Wagner, M 2006, Managing the business case for sustainability: the integration of social, environmental and economic performance, Greenleaf: Michigan. Schaper, M 2005, Making ecopreneurs: developing sustainable entrepreneurship, Ashgate Publishing, Ltd: New York.

Monday, August 19, 2019

A Phoney in The Fifty Dollar Bill :: The Fifty Dollar Bill

A Phoney in The Fifty Dollar Bill  Ã‚        Ã‚  In "The Fifty Dollar Bill" written by Donald Hall, the narrator of the story seems to be an honest man, but is he really? I believe for the most part he is very honest—except for when he did not want to be drafted so he bribed his congressman. He had several reasons for wanting to be exempt from the draft. He was always honest, until he realized he had something important that could be lost. The very beginning of the story starts with the narrator talking to us (the readers) about how honest he is. He tells about how he is well respected both in his profession and in the community where respect "is not accorded easily" (Hall 957). He is saying since he is a lawyer, respect is hard to earn. He tells us all the things he has never done: "I have never asked the judge who is my best friend to fix a ticket for the son of my liquor dealer. I have never promised a favor to a detective in order to hide evidence unfavorable to my client" (957). He is making it a point for us to believe he is honest. When he talks about other lawyers, he says they "live on intimate terms with dishonesty" (957). This statement implies that he could not handle being dishonest, or that at least he does not "live on intimate terms" with dishonesty. However, the final statement of the first paragraph, "I call myself an honest man," does not really sound like he means what he is saying. He says, "I call myself an honest man," not "I am an honest man." If the narrator was so worried about being honest, what reasons could he have had to try to bribe the congressman? He had a lot to deal with when the rumors of the draft came around. The narrator was a third-year law student. He only had one more year to complete before he got his degree. His wife was pregnant and about to have their first child. Those two things were very important to him, and he could not take the chance of losing them. Not only this, but he feared his own death. He had a "repeated sequence in his mind’s eye" in which he kept seeing his own death. The dream not only took place while be was asleep, he also saw his death while he was awake.

To Make a Difference in the World :: Personal Narrative Essays

Racism - To Make a Difference Racism is a dark word; it is as black as the night, as black as the soul of those that harbor this hate. Yet, I want to talk about racism - not just in far away places, but here in the United States. Actually, I want everyone to talk about racism. Only by talking about it can we begin the process of overcoming past and present injustices. On my third day in South Africa, while walking down the street with my black female friend, several workers interrupted our conversation by calling out, "Hey, you're white and she's colored." In the United States, while walking down the street with white friends, I've had people stick their heads out of car windows to yell, "Stick with your own race." In South Africa, I spoke to white people who longed for the old days of apartheid when, for them, things were not so chaotic. In the United States, I spoke to a white man over the phone who, assuming I was white, tried to distinguish between the images that arise when black and white people talk about affirmative action by telling me to note the difference between "you and I discussing affirmative action and that black guy in California." In South Africa under apartheid, the lighter you were the better you were. Many in the U.S. and throughout the world still believe, to some extent, that lighter is better. I recently attended a black/brown conference on coalition building between the African-American and Latino communities and the question of discrimination within the Hispanic community arose. The questioners concern was how light dark discrimination would inhibit coalition building between the two communities. When I was a kid growing up in Columbia, South Carolina, I believed I would accomplish more in life if I were white. Most of the successful, stable families I knew were white. I believed whites had what they had because they were white. When achievement is seen as a purely a white domain, bad things happened to kids. As my barber told me over spring break, her teenaged niece stopped trying in school when the other kids accused her of "acting white." In South Africa, I often heard people ask, "why do I need to suffer for past injustices, I never committed?

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Totalitarianism in Italy Essay -- essays research papers fc

A totalitarian state is defined as â€Å"a few control everything,† and â€Å"the government controls every aspect of the citizens life.† This cannot be better exemplified than by Italy under the rule of the ruthless and violent dictator, Benito Mussolini. What a totalitarian state is, the characteristics it has, and how Italy turned into one are three points that will be studied in this essay. A brief look into Mussolini’s life and his rise to power will also be examined, as well as how his reign resulted for Italy and in turn, how it affected the whole world. An assessment of Italy as a totalitarian state will bring this essay to a close. A totalitarian state is a highly centralized government controlled by one political group, and usually one leader. The duties of the citizen to the state are all-important. Political, economic and social life are all directed by the official party. Totalitarianism has one official plan that covers all vital aspects of human existence. The government monopolizes police, weapons, all means of mass communication (press, radio and films, art, music and literature), and has tight control of the country’s economy. It is used to train people to think and behave in a specific way. In Italy, the development of a totalitarian state was made possible because fascism appealed to Italians. There was much unrest in Italy, and it seemed to be the only option. In the summer of 1920, dissatisfied workers caused the unrest, and growing populations of socialist parties worried middle-class Italians. Mussolini used turmoil to gain power. Benito Mussolini was born on July 29, 1883 in Varnano dei Costa. He was named for the Mexican patriot Benito Juavez. He was the top of his class growing up, but he wasn’t quite a model student - he hated rich children and was almost expelled for stabbing one with a knife. This seems to be the first hint of a very violent future for Mussolini. As a young man, Mussolini worked as a union organizer and was expelled from Switzerland and Austria for Socialist agitation. He was a very talented writer; he wrote poems and a novel, The Cardinal’s Mistress, and edited a newspaper, Avanti. After WWI, in 1922, Mussolini organized a March on Rome with 26,000 followers. This massive display of political support convinced the King to make him Prime Minister. He was the youngest Prime Minister Italy had ever seen.   Ã‚  &nb... ... way of what he believed to be a perfect society. Evidently, things didn’t turn out as planned for Mussolini, but during his time as the leader of Italy, he definitely controlled the lives of many Italians and had things done his way. It was said of him â€Å"He is not, like Hitler, condemned out of his own mouth, nor by the notoriety and magnitude of his evil deeds. It may be that he began well and meant well, like so many of the Caesars before him, but that he ended ill as they did owing to the corruption of power.†4 1 Josh Brooman, Italy and Mussolini, p.17 2 Josh Brooman, Italy and Mussolini, p.19 3 Josh Brooman, Italy and Mussolini, p.23 4 Derek Heater, Case Studies in Twentieth-Century World History, p.79 Bibliography Skipper, G.C. Mussolini: A Dictator Dies. Children’s Press: Chicago,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1989. Brooman, Josh. Italy and Mussolini. Longman Group Limited:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New York, 1985. Heater, Derek. Case Studies in Twentieth-Century World History.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Longman Group Limited: New York, 1988. Benito Mussolini. http://history1900s.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.falange.org%2Fbenito.htm.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

How Can We Measure the Economic Growth of a Country? Essay

Experts have proposed many techniques to assess the economic progress of a country. One of these techniques is to calculate the sum of all the goods and services produced in the country which is known as gross domestic product (GDP). The indicator was created in the wake of great depression in 1930s and still is used to measure individual countries’ economic performance. But now most of the economists claim that GDP alone cannot reflect the economic performance of a society because it has many flaws and does not acceptably measures the household productions, voluntary work, defensive and remedial spending and cash for clunkers. To begin with GDP does not account for the household productions which have sizable effect on the economy of a nation. Unpaid work for instance, causes fall in GDP as there is no value addition. For example, if a person cooks food for his or her family then it causes fall of GDP but if the family hires a chef then GDP boosts up. Let’s take the example of drying clothes in sunshine. If you let the sun dry your clothes, the service is free and doesn’t show up in our domestic product but if you throw your laundry in the dryer, you burn fossil fuel, increase your carbon footprint, make the economy more unsustainable — and give GDP a bit of a bump. This seems illogical that if a person reduces his or her consumption then it will cause GDP to drop, eventually resulting into reduced welfare of the nation. According to various studies carried out in France, domestic production could represent as much as 75% of standard GDP. If GDP does not accurately responds to domestic production then how it can be considered a good measure for the welfare of a nation? Moreover, GDP does not correctly respond to voluntary work and public administration resulting into imperfect measurement of the welfare of a nation. A bicycle repaired by a friend makes GDP fall if the work used to be done by a professional. Thus, a society where voluntary work is widespread will enjoy a higher level of economic well-being but a lower GDP. As far as public administration is concerned, GDP always underestimates the contribution of public services. They are generally not bought by anyone on a market. For example, public gardens maintenance or tax collection. By the same token, a free service resulting from a past public investment (a road, a fountain, a public park or a public sport facility) will not appear in GDP, contrary to its private equivalent (priced road, private sport facility, etc.). Besides household production and voluntary work, another major flaw in the estimation of economic growth by GDP is that it does not appropriately measure production and often just represent it as a compensation for a previous destruction. For example, reconstruction of a destroyed bridge or repairing of inoperative machinery causes a rise in GDP. Another similar example is a boom in the business cycle after the period of recession. Now consider the upsurge in the income of the lawyers. If lawyers prosper because there are more crimes and more offences, does that mean the country is richer? Obviously not, but GDP states country is richer because GDP does not count for these crimes rather it only takes the rise in the income of the lawyers into account. Moving further, production is the decline of human and natural capital. But while calculating GDP this definition is mistreated. This can be illustrated by the example of two countries having same GDP but depreciation of human and natur al resources are not same. It reminds us of those companies who report profits only by under-reporting depreciation of assets. The case is not just theoretical: Britain and France have roughly the same GDP but British workers work 25% more. Furthermore, the contribution of defensive and remedial spending towards GDP has many shortcomings. For example, expenditures on health care, pollution abatement, flood control and costs associated with population growth and increasing urbanization — including crime prevention, highway construction, water treatment and school expansion increase gross domestic product, although mostly what we aim to buy isn’t an improved standard of living but the restoration or protection of the quality of life we already had. (Polley) In this case, it’s clear that GDP indicates the growth in the economy but it’s only the maintenance of our standard of living. Thus GDP is not reliable to judge the standard of living of a community. What’s more is the cash for clunkers whose influence on GDP is also flawed. The new car purchases are added to GDP, but the destruction of the older vehicles is not subtracted. If instead we had a trade in program for new energy efficient homes that required destroying the older, less energy efficient home, we would reach a different result about GDP effects. The new home purchase would add to GDP as for cars, but the destruction of the old home would result in a reduction of GDP because imputed rent on homes is included in GDP unlike cars. In this case, the economic multiplier effects are different about two very similar programs and as a result our economic policies are affected. There are also hidden problems like underground economy which can’t be taken into account as there are hardly any statistics available. (Polley) If economic development is indicated by GDP, then our experts are proposing faulty policies because GDP is not an accurate measure for the economic growth. If we consider the problems in the calculation of GDP, then inaccuracy of the indicator clearly depicts that it’s not an adequate measure of economic progress. For an instance, let’s assume that GDP is a good indicator of economic well being. In this single number, you get an idea of whether the economy is expanding or contracting. Paul Samuelson, Nobel Laureate and author of many textbook references, once described GDP as â€Å"truly among the great inventions of the 20th century, a beacon that helps policymakers steer the economy toward key economic objectives†. But, we forget that how hard it is to accurately sum all of the goods and services produced in a country together, from bricks and tableware to banking and software. First of all, our definition of production is not clear. We often mix the restoration and production. Secondly, statistics for each component of GDP are not easy to gather. For example, there are no statistics available on black economy. Th ird, we need a sophisticated system that can add it all together, from the number of new cars and haircuts, to the volume of teaching etc. (Blades et all) Due to these problems, GDP cannot appropriately measure the welfare of a nation. Given the fundamental problems with GDP as a leading economic indicator, we should not consider it as a measurement of economic well being. Instead, it  is just a measure of economic activities within an economy and no where it is close of accurately reflecting the living standards of the people of that economy.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Patterns in Religion Adherence Essay

Patterns in religious adherence have been steadily changing since the 1947 Australian census. The most noticeable difference is in the constant drop in the number of people that identify themselves as belonging to the Anglican church- an average of 2% every 5 years. In 1947 39% of the entire population claimed to be Anglican and by 2011 that number declined to 17.1%. Although Christianity is still the most popular religion in Australia the overall number of adherents has dropped from 88% to 63%. After World war 2, Australia saw an increase in many denominations in Christianity. More traditional churches such as the uniting church and the Presbyterian and reformed churches all experienced a downturn, losing 14.9% and 11.7%. The newer Pentecostal movement gained momentum with a 25.7% increase since 1996. Catholic, Baptist and orthodox churches also saw significant increase and gained 6.8%, 7.3% and 9.5% respectively. In Australia, 1947, 0.5% claimed to belong to a religion other than Christianity, but in 2006 increased to 5.6%. Buddhism 2.1% Hinduism 0.7%, Islam 1.7% Judaism 0.4% and other religions 0.5%. Hinduism was the fastest growing religion with a rate of 120.2% Buddhism and Islam also grew quickly. The other religions category rose 58.8% (includes spiritualism, wicca and Swedenborg) Judaism gained 11.3% which is smaller than the other religion but still significant and Australian aboriginal traditional religion had a decrease losing 29% between 1996 and 2001. Immigration has been the most dramatic effect leading to an increase in some groups and the decline of other. Other reasons are the movement from one denomination to another, seeking answers in new religious or spiritual movements and an increase in those who acknowledge that they have no religion. Besides Israel Australia has taken in more immigrants (relative existing population) than any other country in the world. Because of this there are now 14 orthodox denominations in Australia and more Eastern Catholic churches to cater for a wider range of ethnic communities. The national church life survey (surveys conducted in major churches in Australia) shows some of the reasons for the increases and decreases in Christian denominations, these being attenders switching from other denominations, decreasing their attendance or stopping attending completely, people attending for the first time or after an absence of a number of years, the birth of children often encourages them to come back and death. Pentecostal churches have the most amount of people switching into their denomination as well as the most amount of people drifting away or switching again. New age religions were also among the fastest growing faiths in the 2001 census increasing by 140% in the 5 years since 1996. Hinduism was not noted in 1947 but in the 1996 census Hinduism had taken 0.4% of adherents from a religion other than Christianity, by 2001 it had grown to 0.5%, 2006- 0.7% and 2011- 1.3%. The decline of the â€Å"White Australia† policy in the 1970’s meant it became easier for migration from a greater range of ethnic groups. Immigration from Asia (India, Malaysia and Indonesia) and the Middle East (particularly Lebanon, Iraq and Iran) has extended Hinduism. Overseas wars and persecution have led to waves of immigration from affected areas for example Lebanon in the 1980’s, which led to an increase in Hinduism in Australia. Many Hindus where also brought to Australia from India by the British to work on cotton and sugar plantations. Hinduism is the fastest growing religion and the fastest since 2006, increasing from 148,130 to 275,534 accounting for 1.3% of religions other than Christianity. This may not be only from immigration from countries where Hinduism is prominent but also because of Australians curiosity and need to experience different things. Hinduism focuses on polytheism meaning they worship many deities, but some Hindu’s describe it as one god in many different forms, some people may have been beginning to search for something other than Christianity and the basics of it, so Hinduism became more popular as a way for people to experience a wider array on how to live life in accordance to religion. Hinduism accepts the existence of all religions; it allowed people to express their spirituality. It may have also been the diversity of the Hindu beliefs that interested Australians, and played a part in its rapid growth.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Research proposal on motivation Essay

Human Resource Management (HRM) includes the process of managing employees at work to achieve organizational goals and objectives. These goals are achieved by strategic operations with the use of cultural, structural and personal techniques (Schuler and Jackson, 2007). With the change in environment and introduction of globalization, it has become important for the organizations to enhance employees’ productivity at work place. So, it will help to boost employees as well as organizational growth. Research Question In relation to this research, following will be the research question: â€Å"How HRM is influencing employees to enhance productivity at work and in what ways?† Research Objective In relation to this case, following are the objective of this research: To see the relationship between HRM and employees productivity. To explore different elements of HRM responsible to enhance employees’ productivity. To evaluate the way of influence people for more productivity at work place. To identify the role of HRM in the growth of employees as well as organization. Literature Review According to Birdi, Wall and Wood (2008) HRM is a practice that enhances employees’ knowledge, skill, attitude and behavior. This enhancement helps to increase company performance. There are many ways for that such as motivate or train employees to work harder and more flexibly, encouraging the use of initiative, reducing the cost of supervision and other direct costs. As well as providing the opportunity for individuals to develop and use new knowledge and skill at work (Birdi, Wall and Wood, 2008). So, the human resource management plays a major part to increase productivity of organization. On other hand Dysvik and Kuvaas (2008) argued about influencing employees about productivity. They said training and motivation cannot influence every employee in similar way. If employees can perceive that they are not being provided with sufficient training opportunities. It might develop higher turnover intentions (Dysvik and Kuvaas, 2008). So, from this statement it is found that perception of developmental HR practices and turnover intentions are negatively related to each other. Justification Employees are regarded to be the most valuable assets of a company. So, it is important for the organizations to have effective human resource management to enhance productivity of employees as well of the organization. Research Methodology Secondary source of data collection will be used to gather information regarding the research. Review of different literatures, books, articles, web sources will be used as secondary source of data collection (Goddard & Melville 2004). Potential Difficulty Every research has some potential difficulties that affect the creditability of the research. The potential difficulty regarding this research is the time constraints and accessibility of the information sources. Action Plan Action plan determines the activities to be taken for the accomplishment of research. Following action plan would be there with time schedule for this research: References Birdi, K., Wall, T.D. and Wood, S.J. (2008) The impact of human resource and operational management practices on company productivity: A longitudinal study. Personnel Psychology, 61, p.467-501. Dysvik, A. and Kuvaas, B. (2008) The relationship between perceived training opportunities, work motivation and employee outcomes. International Journal of Training and Development, 12 (3), p.138-157. Goddard, W. & Melville, S. (2004) Research Methodology: An Introduction. South Africa: Juta and Company Ltd. Schuler, R.S. and Jackson, S.E. (2007) Strategic human resource management 2nd ed. Singapore: Wiley-Blackwell.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Ethical codes and Critical thinking Essay

The issues involving Ethics vs Critical thinking has been a popular topic among researchers for many years. In depth analysis of Ethics vs Critical thinking can be an enriching experience. While it has been acknowledged that it has an important part to play in the development of man, its influence on western cinema has not been given proper recognition. Inevitably Ethics vs Critical thinking is often misunderstood by the easily lead, whom I can say no more about due to legal restrictions. Complex though it is I shall now attempt to provide an exaustive report on Ethics vs Critical thinking and its numerous ‘industries’. There is cultural and institutional interdependence between members of any community. When Thucictholous said ‘people only know one thing’ [1] he shead new light on Ethics vs Critical thinking, allowing man to take it by the hand and understand its momentum. More a melody to societies dysfunctions than a parody of the self, Ethics vs Critical thinking bravely illustrates what we are most afraid of, what we all know deep down in our hearts. Some analysts have been tempted to disregard Ethics vs Critical thinking. I haven’t. Clearly it promotes higher individualism and obeyence of instinct. As soon as a child meets Ethics vs Critical thinking they are changed. Increasingly economic growth and innovation are being attributed to Ethics vs Critical thinking. Of course, Ethics vs Critical thinking fits perfectly into the Lead-a-Duck-to-Water model. For those of you unfamiliar with this model it is derived from the Three-Amigos model but with greater emphasis on the outlying gross national product. When displayed this way it becomes very clear that Ethics vs Critical thinking is of great importance. My personal view is that the cost of living world wide are driven entirely by Ethics vs Critical thinking. Many analysts fear a subsequent depression. It is always enlightening to consider the words of the uncompromising Kuuipo H. Amster ‘Political  idealists must ideally deal, for I daily list my ideals politically.’ This quotation leads me to suspect that he was not unaccustomed to Ethics vs Critical thinking. It speaks volumes. If Ethics vs Critical thinking be the food of politics, play on. One thing’s certain. The Human species liberally desires Ethics vs Critical thinking, and what’s more human than politics? What can we conclude? Well, Ethics vs Critical thinking parades along man’s streets and man waves back. It enriches, ‘literally’ plants seeds for harvest, and always chips in.

Toxic Substances Control Act, United States Research Paper

Toxic Substances Control Act, United States - Research Paper Example While the enactment of codified environmental acts with TSCA has brought certain advantages in reducing health risks and negative impact to the environment in general through the course of history since the 1970s, its scope and limitations are perceived to necessitate evaluation measures that suit current demands. History Originally proposed in 1971 by the President’s Council on Environmental Quality, federal legislation for TSCA arrived at a report on ‘Toxic Substances’, detailing a defined need for comprehensive legislation in identifying and controlling chemicals whose production, processing, distribution, application, as well as disposal may pose serious threat to humans and environment alike, especially since environmental statutes back then were lacking adequate regulations. . In 1972 and the following year, bills for the 92nd and 93rd Congresses were passed by the House and the Senate respectively when certain issues rose regarding the scope of tests perfor med, economic consequence, and efficiency in comparison to other regulatory laws. TSCA was approved and officialized into law under the regime of President Ford as the latter signed for its approval on October 11, 1976, under which EPA was granted jurisdiction to address reported episodes of environmental contamination by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) of Hudson River and other waterways, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions toward gradual stratospheric ozone depletion, and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) with agricultural impact. Estimating optimum levels of costs imposed upon TSCA implementation as well as related provisions inventory and hazard notifications were also required for EPA to maintain besides pertinent screening procedures and control of existing industrially used toxic chemicals. Major amendments to the TSCA initially comprised in a single title included Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act under Public Law Number 99-519 (Title II) in 1986 which enabled EPA to set standards for asbestos mitigation in schools, requiring asbestos contractors to be trained and certified as well. Radon Program Development Act in 1988 followed by Radon Measurement two years later, as stated in P.L. 100-551 (Title III) and P.L. 101-508 correspondingly contained directions for EPA to provide technical assistance to states that opt to support monitoring and control of radon. Asbestos School Hazard Abatement Reauthorization Act under P.L. 101-637 moreover was enacted in 1999 whereas the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 through P.L. 102-550 (Title IV) was sought to be carried out in providing assistance leading to abatement of lead-based paint hazards. Through Title V, similarly, environmental concerns at schools along with energy efficiency were dealt with by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 within P.L. 110-140 while Title I was further amended in terms of sales restrictions for elementary mercury in 2008 being authorized by Me rcury Export Ban Act under P.L. 110-414. TSCA Coverage / Content One chief objective of TSCA was to enable producers to develop test data, directing EPA to require such on existing chemicals in case – (1) the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, or disposal of the chemical ‘may present an unreasonable risk’ or (2) when the chemical is produced in substantial quantity by volume, posing the threat of being released to the environment in equivalent or proportional amount which entails a range of measureable impact upon a populace of high biodiversity. Since there were more than

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Acquisition Team Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Acquisition Team - Research Paper Example primarily, acquisition constitutes a process that functions and bears results based on interdependence and cooperation of various aspects in the contracting process (Engelbeck, 2002). Furthermore, acquisition team is what makes the process of acquisition succeed, based on the set goals. Moreover, formation of the team should reflect aspects of integration, interrelation, cooperation, and collaboration with enhanced communication networks. Business Opportunity Opportunity Title: Z-Full Seepage Blanket Extension, Bolivar Dam, Ohio Solicitation Number: W91237-11-B-0006 Agency: Department of the Army Office: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office Location: USACE District, Huntington URL: https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=c88569da75a9388b1203f6f44e4a9fc7&tab=core&_cview=0. This is one of the projects owned by the Department of Army, and solicitation for the project awaits posting of notice for contractors. The project largely involves contractors initiating an action-plan of pl acing fill material on the downstream side of the Bolivar Dam in Bolivar, Ohio State. Included in the work to be performed are base contract plus two options. On the part of Base Contract, construction of a portion will take place at downstream seepage blanket, a terrace filter blanket extension, 450’ of storm sewer, and tree and brush clearing around the left abutment of the dam (FedBizOpps, N.d). On the part of two options, option (1) will involve construction of remainder of the downstream seepage blanket and 530’ of storm sewer. Option (2) will involve construction of the right abutment seepage blanket (FedBizOpps, N.d). The process of constructing seepage blankets will largely involve borrow material from an on-site borrow area, whereby, the portion of material will be purchased by the contractor from commercial source (FedBizOpps, N.d). Construction to be done will take place on government owned-land, which will be the same thing happening for borrow and spoil ar eas. Research has indicated that there will be need for roads (Haul roads) connecting borrow and spoil areas and subsequently linking them to seepage blankets. The whole project is estimated to cost between $5,000,000 and $10,000,000 (FedBizOpps, N.d). The delivery (completion) of the project is estimated will take 635 calendar days after the initial date when authorization of the project commencement notice is received. Sections of FAR Act will guide some of the operations of the project such that, 25% of total contract performance incurred for personnel should be expended for employees of the prime contractor. Acquisition Team Engelbeck (2002) observes that Acquisition needs to be perceived as the process that connects the needs of customers and overall satisfaction derived by the customers. Further, Acquisition is a process of steps and activities involving identifying requirements (needs), acquisition planning, preparation of the solicitation, source selection, negotiation, and contract award, performance and closeout (Engelbeck, 2002). Success of acquisition process has been attached to ability to institute acquisition team that is multi-organizational as well as cross-functional in nature. Therefore, given the nature of the above project, the following experts are deemed critical to the success of the acquisition process. Program Manager (PM) The acquisition process only succeeds or fails from efforts, skills, and knowledge of the PM. This is a professional whose shoulders hold the entire work-process of acquisition, and the direction the PM takes will greatly define the success, failure or progress of the project